Kyokushin

Kyokushin is a style of stand-up, full contact karate founded by Choi Yeong-Eui aka Masutatsu Oyama (최영의;大山倍達) in 1964. Kyokushinkai is Japanese for "the society for the ultimate truth." A very practical method of self defense, Kyokushin is deep rooted in the philosophies of self-improvement and discipline. Its full contact style has had international appeal (practitioners number between 10 million and 20 million. Kyokushin has influenced much of the "full-contact" school of karate, emphasizing realistic training, physical toughness, and practicality in its training curriculum. Many other martial arts organizations have "spun-off" of Kyokushin over the years, with some adding additional techniques, such as grappling, but usually continuing with the same philosophy of realistic and practical training methods.